August 22, 2017

 

 

Philippine crop and poultry output rose 11.72% and 8.36%, respectively, in the second quarter compared with last year, helping offset declines in livestock and fisheries, whose output fell 1.38% and 2.93%, respectively.

 

Total agricultural output increased 6.18% in the second quarter compared with a year before, outpacing growth in the first quarter, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed, according to a report by the Philippine business newspaper Malaya.

 

Despite declines in the livestock and fisheries output, gross value of agricultural production rose 11.41%  to 422.36 billion pesos (US$8.21 billion) against last year's PHP379.1 billion ($7.37 billion).

 

Crops—mainly consisting of corn and rice-accounted for 50.75% of the total agricultural production. At current prices, the sector grossed PHP231.61 billion ($4.5 billion), or 13.5% more than last year's gross receipts.

 

Higher volume of production contributed to the expansion in gross receipts from corn by 32.27%.

 

Higher poultry proportion

 

Poultry accounted for 16.02% of total agricultural production in the second quarter, with gross value of PHP55.32 billion ($1.075 billion), or 10.07% higher.

 

Because of higher production and prices, the gross values of chicken output were up 9.36%, chicken eggs by 12.90% and duck eggs by 12.25%. However, duck grossed 3.12% less because of lower volume of production.

 

The livestock output declined 1.38% during the second quarter, accounting for 16.38% of total agricultural output. Gross value of output increase 12.48% to PHP71.92 billion ($1.4 billion) at current prices.

 

Gross receipts from hog rose 14.36%, carabao by 11.67%, goat by 3.08% and cattle by 1.07%, helped by price hikes. Except for dairy, all components of the livestock sector recorded output decreases.

 

Fisheries output declined 2.93% in April-June and contributed 16.84% to total agricultural output. At current prices, the fisheries sector grossed PHP63.51 billion ($1.23 billion), 4.40% higher than last year's gross earnings.

 

Higher sales from aquaculture

 

As per report from Malaya, production expansion and price hikes pushed up the gross receipts from milkfish by 14.35%, tilapia by 12.01% and seaweed by 22.73%.

 

Gross earnings from tiger prawn declined 5.81%, due to lower volume of production.

 

Price increments were recorded in all agricultural sectors-crops at 1.59%, livestock at 14.06%, poultry at 1.58% and fisheries at 7.55%.

 

How the recent bird flu outbreaks in two provinces will affect production of the different agricultural sectors in the third quarter is still too early to tell, according to the United Broilers Raisers Association.

 

"It depends on how soon consumer confidence will recover. Hard to tell at this point," Bong Inciong, the association's president, told Malaya.